Actuating means for the digging blades of a machine for cultivating the soil



Aug. 10, 1965 v ss s 3,199,606

ACTUATING MEANS FOR THE DIGGING BLADES OF A MACHINE FOR CULTIVATING THE SOIL Filed June 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HERBERT vl s Efls BY #M ATTORNEYS H. VISSERS Aug. 10, 1965 ACTUATING MEANS FOR THE DIGGING BLADES OF A MACHINE FOR CULTIVA'I'ING THE SOIL Filed June 5, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG2 INVENTOR ISSERS HERBERT V ATTORNEYS United States Patent ACTUATING MEANS FOR THE DIGGING BLADES OF A MACJE FOR CULTIVATING THE SEE Herbert Vissers, Nieuw Vennep, Netherlands, assignor to Landbouwwerktuigenen Machinefahrieh H. Vissers N.V., Nieuw Vennep, Netherlands Filed June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,882

Claims priority, application Netherlands, June 7, 1963,

4 Claims. (or. 172-95 This invention relates to a machine for cultivating the soil having digging blades arranged in at least one circular set and each secured on a stub shaft, the axis of which lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the set of blades, the stub shafts of the digging blades being rotatably journalled in a hub body forming part of a hollow shaft, rotatably supported on a travelling frame and a stationary axle extending in said hollow shaft, a toothed rack being mounted for axially slidable movement in said hub body, said rack having its toothing meshing with a toothing provided on the stub shaft of the digging blade and said rack being reciprocated by a profilated guide track located around said stationary axle.

With a known digging machine of this type of the rack at its side remote from its toothing is provided with a roller running in the profilated guide track for tilting the digging blade on a predetermined arc of the rotation of the set of blades for throwing down the slice of soil taken up by the blade. With said arrangement of the mechanism for tilting the digging blades the hub body obtains a rather large diameter as the diameter of the portion of the stationary axle carrying the guide track should not be too small as otherwise the profile of the active part of the side walls of the track becomes so steep for obtaining the required stroke of the toothed rack that the roller of the rack gets stuck in the track. Moreover said known arrangement is therefore not adapted for a machine in which the tilting movement of the digging blades is to be carried out on a relatively small angle of rotation of the set of blades.

According to the invention said known machine is improved by locating the toother rack between the side walls of the guide track and with its end faces in contact with said walls. With said arrangement of the distance of the stub shaft of the digging blade from the bottom of the track may be increased without the hub body obtaining a too large diameter. Thereby the digging blades may be tilted on a smaller angle of rotation of the set of blades.

The invention will further be described with reference to the drawings illustrating an embodiment of the digging machine according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the digging ma- '7 chine attached to and driven by a tractor.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of a hub body on a larger scale.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the hub body along the line III-III of FIG. 2.

The hub bodies 1 by means of tube sections 17 are connected together to constitute a hollow shaft 18. Said shaft 18 by means of bearings 18' is journalled on a stationary axle 15 which at its ends is secured in arms 19 and 20 rigidly connected to a transverse beam 21. Said beam 21 by means of links 22 is attached to a tractor 23 and comprises a gear box 24 having its input shaft 25 connected to the power take-off shaft 27 of the tractor by a coupling shaft 26. The rotation of the input shaft 25 is transmitted to a chain drive 28 by means of a gear located in the hollow beam 21, and not shown in the drawing. The chain drive 28 is located in the box-like arm 20 and comprises a chain wheel 29 secured to the hollow shaft 18.

With the embodiment shown in the drawing the hub body 1 is adapted to carry three digging blades 2, each of which by means of a boss 3 is secured to a stub shaft 4 rotatably supported in a sleeve 5 which is secured at the circumference of the hub body 1. The stub shaft 4 is provided with a toothing 6 meshing with a toothing 8 of a rack 7, which in the embodiment shown has a circular cross section but may also be of rectangular or of other section. The rack 7 is slidably journalled in a recess 9 at the bottom of the sleeve 5 secured on the hub body 1 and the rack is located in a guide track constituted by collars 1d and 11 on the stationary axle 15. The faces of the collars 1d and 11 contacting the end faces 13 and 14 respectively of the rack '7 are profilated in such a manner, that during the rotation of the hub body 1 the digging blade 2 begins to be tilted out of its normal digging position and after the hub body has been rotated through the predetermined angle the blade reaches the position for releasing the slice of sail taken up, whereafter the blade is returned from the tilted position to its digging position.

With the embodiment shown in the drawings each collar 1t and 11 is united with a hub 12 and both said hubs are each individually secured on the stationary axle by means of a screw or pin 16. The collars 10 and 11 could also directly be united with a section of the axle 15 which is then built up from separate sections.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for cultivating the soil, digging blades arranged in at least one circular set, stub shafts on which the blades are individually secured, the axis of said of said stub shafts lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the set of blades, a hollow shaft having a hub body forming part thereof, said stub shafts of the digging blades being rotatably journaled in said hub body, a traveling frame rotatably supporting the hollow shaft, a stationary axle extending in said hollow shaft a toothed rack mounted for axial sliding movement in said hub body, toothing provided on each stub shaft, said rack being in meshing engagement with said toothing, a guide track located around said stationary axle for reciprocating said rack, driving means for rotating said hollow shaft with the toothed rack being substantially housed and located between the side Walls of the guide track and having end faces in contact with the side walls of the guide track.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the side walls of the guide track are each individually secured on the stationary axle.

3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the rack is slideably journaled in a recess at the bottom of a sleeve secured at the circumference of the hub body, the stub shaft of each blade being journaled in said sleeve.

4. The combination of claim 1, wherein the side walls of the guide track are each individually secured on the stationary axle, the rack being slideably journaled within a recess at the bottom of a sleeve secured at the circumference of the hub body and the stub shaft of each blade being journaled in said sleeve.

References (lited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,012,616 12/61 Horowitz 17294 3,120,279 2/64 Horowitz 172546 X FOREIGN PATENTS 927,820 5/63 Great Britain. 324,668 2/35 Italy.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

T. GRAHAM CRAVER, Examiner. 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR CULTIVATING THE SOIL, DIGGING BLADES ARRANGED IN AT LEAST ONE CIRCULAR SET, STUB SHAFTS ON WHICH THE BLADES ARE INDIVIDUALLY SECURED, THE AXIS OF SAID OF SAID STUB SHAFTS LYING IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF THE SET OF BLADES, A HOLLOW SHAFT HAVING A HUB BODY FORMING PART THEREOF, SAID STUB SHAFTS OF THE DIGGING BLADES BEING ROTATABLY JOURNALED IN SAID HUB BODY, A TRAVELING FRAME ROTATABLY SUPPORTING THE HOLLOW SHAFT, A STATIONARY AXLE EXTENDING IN SAID HOLLOW SHAFT A TOOTHED RACK MOUNTED FOR AXIIAL SLIDING MOVEMENT IN SAID HUB BODY, TOOTHIING PROVIDED ON EACH STUB SHAFT, SAID RACK 